We Come in Peace

Last night I watched a documentary on PBS called Independent Lens:State of Arizona.. It was about the immigration issues that are plaguing the southwestern corner of the country. Now before I jump right in I ought to let you know that on some level I felt for all parties involved. Even the those furthest right of the issue; regardless of how skewed or myopic their solutions and approach to the issues at hand. I think it's important to preface this article with human rights involved. Because this is the corner of the spectrum I approach this issue from. I'll begin by confessing that before I saw this documentary about the

plight of Latino Americans who are here under legal or illegal terms I had very aloof feelings and opinions about these issues. Mostly because I live in a region of the country that doesn't live with it on a daily basis. But the moving images and pictures of the struggle that exists in the state of Arizona stifled me, not only that it existed but that it was willfully being carried out and orchestrated by a legislative branch of state government against hard working Latino Americans.



A major character in this documentary is a statute called SB1070; enacted in April of 2010,  essentially in it's original form it gave police the right to criminally profile mexican americans in their own cities and towns within the state or Arizona. If you remember civics from grade school you'll remember that states have the rights to run themselves as they see fit in matter where the federal government doesn't or where the constitution does not necessarily cover the role of the federal government (all subject to interpretation of the law of course). But as the elder brother to the states the federal government has the right to intervene if they feel the constitution is being violated. Well you guessed it, the state department intervened and took the State of Arizona to court putting a temporary injunction on SB1070 until it could be sorted out by the higher courts. In the end some of the most egregious parts of the statutes were struck down by a federal judge such as the parts that required immigrants to carry their papers and making it unlawful for undocumented immigrants to work or apply for work in the U.S.


The legal bits of this piece are tedious but once you understand the 'conditions' the government were trying to create for people trying to earn an honest living in the U.S. it almost makes you angry and ashamed to call yourself a citizen of a country that holds itself up to such a high standard on the world stage. The term 'attrition' was thrown around a lot in the film which is the means by which the state tried to get the 'aliens' to leave. I believe the slogan touted in the major media outlets is 'self deportation.' Which basically amounts to making living conditions so horrid for immigrant communities that they'll want to leave. Like all hate the DNA of SB1070 is made up mostly of fear and ignorance fueled by a xenophobia that has been spreading since this nation's inception. Lingering in the wings until the generations that nourished it dies off we are left with the good fight.

 One of the major cases being made by advocates of the legislation was that the immigrants were taking jobs, and taking less money to do it. Two advocates of SB1070 who were contractors said that they were economically affected because those who SB1070 sought to exclude from the community and workforce out

bid them on work projects by thousands, because they could afford to; and that they could not compete with the low rates that these workers offered when bidding on work.The anecdote offered by the two men frightened me more because it reminded me of a Jim Crow south; and the days of reconstruction. For a moment I thought if the American Zeitgeist had been where it was then in America, and it were acceptable would these men don hoods and/or masks and terrorize these worker who presented a economic obstacle for them. The thought sent chills up my spine. And although they didn't wear the expressions on their faces, or carry it in their voices. The most homeopathic doses of hate transmitted through my television set.To paraphrase Malcolm X: the can paint the picture they want us to see, not what is there. So watch with critical eyes unless it's public television or some publication with loose or no ties to corporate or subversive cultural interest. Usually your soul know right from wrong it's that little nudge in the back of your mind that you ignore instead choosing old patterns that have gotten you this far. This is as far as I can go with you on this subject. I hope you'll make a little time to educate yourself. Especially in light of tonight's broadcast from the capitol. Make it a point to bring it to the executive and legislative branch's attention via email, snail mail or better yet social media. Word on the street is that #SOTU + #SOTUis are the hot #hashtags tonight and all day so do it. They're human too, we're all connected.

Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease,


-Bikim B.